August 2005
Bedding basics
Combed cotton. Fibers are combed and the short ones are removed. The process makes the fabric smoother.
Egyptian. Cotton grown only along Egypt's Nile River.
Jersey. A plain knit fabric.
Linen. Fiber made from the flax plant.
Modal. Cellulose fiber similar to rayon.
Percale. Cotton or cotton-polyester plain-weave fabric with equal or similar vertical and horizontal thread counts.
Pima. Cotton grown primarily in the Southwest.
Plain weave. The simplest weave structure: single vertical and horizontal threads woven under and over.
Polyester. A synthetic fiber.
Sateen. Smooth, fairly glossy fabric in which the horizontal threads are woven over four or more vertical threads.
Voile. A plain-weave, sheer fabric usually used for curtains or blouses.
Read our complete Ratings report and related information on sheets (available to ).
Combed cotton. Fibers are combed and the short ones are removed. The process makes the fabric smoother.
Egyptian. Cotton grown only along Egypt's Nile River.
Jersey. A plain knit fabric.
Linen. Fiber made from the flax plant.
Modal. Cellulose fiber similar to rayon.
Percale. Cotton or cotton-polyester plain-weave fabric with equal or similar vertical and horizontal thread counts.
Pima. Cotton grown primarily in the Southwest.
Plain weave. The simplest weave structure: single vertical and horizontal threads woven under and over.
Polyester. A synthetic fiber.
Sateen. Smooth, fairly glossy fabric in which the horizontal threads are woven over four or more vertical threads.
Voile. A plain-weave, sheer fabric usually used for curtains or blouses.
Read our complete Ratings report and related information on sheets (available to ).
